Rapid Determination of Swiss Cheese Composition by Fourier Transform Infrared/Attenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy

Abstract

There is a need for rapid and simple techniques that can be used to predict the quality of cheese. The aim of this research was to develop a simple and rapid screening tool for monitoring Swiss cheese composition by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Twenty Swiss cheese samples from different manufacturers and degree of maturity were evaluated. Direct measurements of Swiss cheese slices (approximately 0.5 g) were made using a MIRacle 3-reflection diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory. Reference methods for moisture (vacuum oven), protein content (Kjeldahl), and fat (Babcock) were used. Calibration models were developed based on a cross-validated (leave-one-out approach) partial least squares regression. The information-rich infrared spectral range for Swiss cheese samples was from 3,000 to 2,800 cm(-1) and 1,800 to 900 cm(-1). The performance statistics for cross-validated models gave estimates for standard error of cross-validation of 0.45, 0.25, and 0.21% for moisture, protein, and fat respectively, and correlation coefficients r > 0.96. Furthermore, the ATR infrared protocol allowed for the classification of cheeses according to manufacturer and aging based on unique spectral information, especially of carbonyl groups, probably due to their distinctive lipid composition. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy allowed for the rapid (approximately 3-min analysis time) and accurate analysis of the composition of Swiss cheese. This technique could contribute to the development of simple and rapid protocols for monitoring complex biochemical changes, and predicting the final quality of the cheese.

Monitoring amino acids, organic acids, and ripening changes in Cheddar cheese using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

“…Most of the applications of FTIR spectroscopy in cheese have focused on determination of chemical parameters and composition of cheese (Chen, Irudayaraj, & McMahon, 1998;Martín-del-Campo, Picque, Cosío-Ramirez, & Corrieu, 2007;McQueen, Wilson, Kinnunen, & Jensen, 1995;Rodriguez-Saona, Koca, Harper, & Alvarez, 2006). Applications on assessment of ripening by FTIR are scarce.…”

Middle infrared spectroscopy characterization of ripening stages of Camembert-type cheeses

“…The associated bands of proteins, fats, lactose and lactic acid are well known and have been described in milk and cheese. In recent years, infrared (IR) spectroscopy has been applied to measure cheese composition (Rodriguez-Soana, Koca, Harper, & Alvarez, 2006;Upreti & Metzger, 2006), sensory and instrumental texture parameters (Blasquez et al, 2006;Karoui et al, 2006) and to determine the geographic origin of the cheese . These studies were carried out on ripened cheeses, but, it seems to be possible to use IR spectroscopy to follow compositional and molecular changes during cheese ripening.…”

Analysis of chicken fat as adulterant in butter using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

“…At 1745 cm -1 , another strong band was present, which is reported to be associated with -C=O stretching vibrations of acids and esters (Lema Garcia et al, 2010). This band and the next at 1460 cm -1 arising from N-H bending vibration are most likely associated with the amide I and amide II of proteins (Karoui and De Baerdemaker, 2007;Rodríguez et al, 2006). In the last part of the spectra (1300-1000 cm -1 ), stretching vibrations of the C-O bond of esters and bending vibrations of a methylene group were present (Lema García et al, 2010).The band at 966 cm -1 , associated with -HC=CH out-of-plane deformation vibrations, has been previously reported as a marker band for the determination of trans-fats.…”